This invention relates to the construction of tables and in particular, but not exclusively, to flat pack kits for the construction of tables.
A common design of rectangular table comprises a table top, four legs at each corner of the table and a rail secured to the lower surface of the table top and extending between adjacent legs. A typical flat pack kit contains a table top/rail sub-assembly, the four table legs and various fixings. The sub-assembly consists of the table top with the four rail elements glued and dowelled in position with the rails at each corner being bridged by a bent metal corner bracket. The corner bracket comprises a bridging portion and two side plates, the outer edges of each of which are turned through 90xc2x0 to fit into grooves formed in the inner surface of the rails.
This customary arrangement has several disadvantages. Assembling the rail elements to the table top prior to the shipping of the flat pack kit is costly and time consuming.
Each rail needs to be slotted at either end to receive the turned-over lip of the bracket; a hole needs to be drilled in the upper surface of the rail at each end to receive a dowel, and corresponding holes have to be drilled in the under surface of the table top. Thereafter the rails must be secured to the underside of the table top by gluing and the four metal corner brackets must be screwed into position by wood screws using pilot holes previously provided. All these operations take time and therefore increase the cost of production. In addition, much furniture these days is produced of medium density fibreboard (MDF) and we have found that the provision at each end of the rails in close proximity to a hole for a dowel and a slot for the bracket, in conjunction with the stresses induced by the screw fixing for the bracket, can cause delamination of the rail element to occur, especially between the base of the groove and the dowel bore. Furthermore, shipping the flat pack with the table top assembled to the rails increases the possibility of damage to the sub-assembly during transit. If damage should occur then it is necessary to disassemble the sub-assembly and repair the damaged components, rather than simply replacing the damaged components. Furthermore the provision of the table top/rail sub-assembly often means that the minimum depth of the pack is defined by the combined depth of the table top and the rails whereas it would be possible to make the pack thinner if the rails were laid parallel to the table top.
Accordingly I have developed a new design of table incorporating a innovative bracket which mitigates at least some of the above disadvantages.
Thus, in one aspect of this invention there is provided a table, comprising:
a table top element;
a plurality of floor-standing legs projecting downwardly from the lower surface of said table top element at respective corner regions;
a plurality of rail elements depending from the lower surface of the table top element with respective twos of the rail elements converging at a corner region to define respective location regions for abutting and locating the upper portion of a respective leg;
a corner bracket in each of said corner regions, each corner bracket comprising:
a central bridge portion having means for co-operating with a fixing for securely locating said leg relative to said bracket and said rails;
two respective rail plate portions disposed at opposite sides of said bridge portion, each rail plate portion having means for co-operating with an adjacent portion of an adjacent rail element for securely locating said rail element relative to said bracket, and
one or more table top plate portions disposed generally perpendicularly to said wing plate portions and having means for co-operating with a fixing for securely locating said table top means relative to said bracket.
Preferably, each bracket includes two table top plate portions, each extending from the upper edge of one of the rail plate portions respectively.
The angular configuration of the bracket will depend on the design of the table; thus for a square or rectangular table top the planes defined by the rail plate portions will intersect at 90xc2x0, whilst for octagonal tables they will intersect at 135xc2x0, and so on for other shapes.
The means for co-operating with the fixing may comprise a plan or countersunk circular aperture, with typical fixings for the rail plate portions and table top plate portions comprising wood screws. The fixings for the bridge portion preferably comprise a threaded bolt or stud or the like which allows adjustment thereof to pull the leg tightly towards the bracket and the rail ends to provide a stable and secure load-bearing arrangement.
The invention also extends to a bracket as described above for use in the construction of a table or the assembly of a flat-pack kit.
In a further aspect, this invention provides a corner bracket for securing together two surface elements at a predetermined angle and a third surface element substantially perpendicular to said first and second surface elements, said bracket comprising a mid portion having at opposite ends respective side elements for locating and engaging in use said first and second surface elements, said bracket further comprising support means for locating and engaging in use said third surface element, wherein said mid portion, said side elements and said support means each include fixing apertures. Preferably said mid portion fixing aperture is substantially coincident with a plane bisecting the angle formed by the planes defined by the side elements.
Whilst the invention applies to the construction of furniture generally, it has particular application to the flat pack furniture industry. Accordingly the invention also extends to a kit for the manufacture of a table, said kit including in disassembled form a table top, a plurality of legs, a plurality of rail elements and plurality of brackets as defined above.
Whilst the invention has been described above it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.